One of the things I enjoy about guided "Quiet Days" is that I have no control over the agenda. I just participate - and see what the day brings me, in my thoughts and reflections.
One of the events I was looking forward to on this "Quiet Day" was a talk about labyrinths - together with an opportunity to meditatively walk on an indoor one.
Labyrinths have long been a mystery to me. I encountered my first one at the Chartres Cathedral in France many years ago. (I later regretted not taking the guided tour of the cathedral, to help me understand what labyrinths were all about.)
I've walked through two labrinths since then - both on my own. One was in the grounds of a convent in Toronto. The other next to Almonte's St. Paul's Anglican Church. Neither experience was exceptional to me in any way.
This time, there was a brief introductory talk about labyrinths - then an opportunity to enter, walk to the center, stay as long as you want, then take the same circuitous path out. The presenter suggested first pausing at the entrance to silently pray.
We were about 20 people, so the presenter suggested we leave a meter between us as we walked at our own speed. She also explained how to overtake or pass people on the path. It was all to be done in a quiet respectful way.
I was the second to enter. I paused, then looked down and followed the path. The blue-green-purple of the painted canvas labryinth made it "heavenly" to walk through. I remember thinking, as people passed nearby on different paths - that we were all on a different journey, and at a different place in life. There was no obvious "beginning" or "end" - as in a racetrack. We were all moving along, doing our own thing - but doing it together. We were not alone in this "dance" of life - but companions - each on our own path.
The experience left me with a lot of comfort and joy.
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